What if there was a library which held every book? Not every book on sale, or every important book, or even every book in English, but simply every book - a key part of our planet's cultural legacy.
Aaron SwartzRead
Without the ability to talk about government power, there's no way for citizens to make sure this power isn't being misused.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Citizens must discuss government power to prevent its misuse.
This quote by Aaron Swartz emphasizes the importance of open dialogue about the power held by governments. It suggests that without citizens engaging in conversations about governance, there is a significant risk of that power being abused or misused, leading to a lack of accountability in political systems.
Themes
GovernmentPowerCitizensAccountabilityDialogue
In practice
Example use cases
During a town hall meeting focused on local governance.
More from Aaron Swartz
All quotes →Large corporations, of course, are blinded by greed. The laws under which they operate require it - their shareholders would revolt at anything less.
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We need to download scientific journals and upload them to file-sharing networks.
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Think deeply about things. Don’t just go along because that’s the way things are or that’s what your friends say. Consider the effects, consider the alternatives, but most importantly, just think.
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But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. The world's entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations. Want to read the papers featuring the most famous results of the sciences? You'll need to send enormous amounts to publishers like Reed Elsevier.
Aaron SwartzRead
Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves.
Aaron SwartzRead
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Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Experience has taught us that it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession, and when the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.
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A politician's words reveal less about what he thinks about his subject than what he thinks about his audience.
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If taxes are laid upon us without our having a legal representation where they are laid, we are reduced from the character of free subjects to the state of tributary slaves.
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